Factbook
Histoire de Bolivie — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Bolivie, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1825Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simón BOLÍVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825.
1825Independence: 6 August 1825 (from Spain).
1980Much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of coups and countercoups, with the last coup occurring in 1980.
1982Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production.
2005In 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES as president -- by the widest margin of any leader since 1982 -- after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the poor and indigenous majority.
2009In 2009 and 2014, MORALES easily won reelection, and his party maintained control of the legislative branch.
2012Languages: Spanish (official) 68.1%, Quechua (official) 17.2%, Aymara (official) 10.5%, Guarani (official) 0.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.1%; note - Spanish and all Indigenous languages are official (2012 est.) Religions: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 19.6% (Evangelical (non-specific) 11.9%, Evangelical Baptist 2.1%, Evangelical Pentecostal 1.8%, Evangelical Methodist 0.7%, Adventist 2.8%, Protestant (non-specific) 0.3%), Believer (not belonging to the church) 0.9%, other 4.8%, atheist 1.7%, agno Urban population: 71.2% of total population (2023).
2016In 2016, MORALES narrowly lost a referendum to approve a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to compete in the 2019 presidential election.
2020An interim government, led by President Jeanine AÑEZ Chávez, held new elections in 2020, and Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora was elected president.
2022Major urban areas: 1.936 million LA PAZ (capital), 1.820 million Santa Cruz, 1.400 million Cochabamba (2022); 278,000 Sucre (constitutional capital) (2018) resource-rich economy benefits during commodity booms; has bestowed juridical rights to Mother Earth, impacting extraction industries; increasing Chinese lithium mining trade relations; hard hit by COVID-19; increased fiscal spending amid poverty increases; rampant banking and finance corruption Inflation: 5.1% (2024 est.).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 65% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 2.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 3.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 24.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 29.34 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: mining, smelting, electricity, petroleum, food and beverages, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry Agriculture: sugarcane, soybeans, maize, potatoes, sorghum, rice, milk, chicken, plantains, beef (2023) Electricity access: 99.9% (2022 est.).
2024Military spending: 1.2% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 12.4 million (2025 estimate).
